


The Chosen

by ForcedSimile



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForcedSimile/pseuds/ForcedSimile
Summary: “Explain yourself. I was literally born to lead, and you reject me for this child,” Allura said. “You and I both know Keith is a very talented pilot and a capable warrior, but he's not a leader. Not yet, anyway.”





	

It was normal to be anxious right now. They were only a few days from their last battle with Zarkon. And Shiro was gone. And to add insult to injury, the Black Lion did not choose Allura as its new pilot. It made no sense. All the Lions were literally hot wired to her life force, and still it chose Keith over her.

And now she couldn't sleep and she didn't have Shiro to help her pass the time. Allura got out of bed. Since Shiro wasn't here, her only option was to go to his last known location. She went to the Lion hangar. Before heading to her true destination, she placed her hand on Blue Lion's paw. She didn't quite understand why the Lions have shuffled around pilots like this. Why Red wanted Lance, why Blue took her. And she was never going to let Black live down rejecting her as team leader. She stood in front of the Black Lion, hands on her hips.

“Explain yourself. I was literally born to lead, and you reject me for this child,” she said. “You and I both know Keith is a very talented pilot and a capable warrior, but he's not a leader. Not yet, anyway.”

Black was silent. Allura didn't know what she was expecting.

“Answer me! I know you're capable of giving people visions! I don't understand!” she said. Her shoulders slumped a bit, but she clenched her fists. “I have a special bond with each of you Lions. Each one of you is different and precious. But I always felt...I always thought when I became queen, you'd be mine. And...you're the only one who knows about Shiro. About how he truly felt. So...did he...did he ever...”

She couldn't say it. The Black Lion lowered its head and opened its mouth. Allura entered. She walked slowly into the cockpit and closed her eyes, trying to feel for a presence. Aside from Black's she felt none. Maybe if she sat in his seat? She sat down in the pilot's chair and gripped the controls. They would not budge.

“No! I thought this was a sign! What do you have me in here for if you won't let me fly you!” she said. She pulled on the controls to no avail. Even with all her strength they would not move. She let out a frustrated cry. And then she curled up in the seat and actually started crying. She cried like she hadn't cried in years (she actually hadn't). It all built up. Everything she'd lost. Her people. Her planet. Her family. And now Shiro was added to the list. The Black Lion was her last bit of control over everything and even that was taken from her.

These were not normal tears. She was nearing all out hysteria. She could scarcely breathe, she couldn't see, her head hurt, she couldn't even hear. She was trying to speak, but her mouth wouldn't form anything other than incoherent wailing. She was too tired to fight it all and let it happen.

* * *

She woke with a start. She wasn’t in the hangar anymore. She could see the outside environment on the screen, there was a lot of grey rock formations. And in Black’s sights was Shiro.

“Let me out,” Allura said. Black complied. She was still a little shaky from all the crying and having just woke up. She tripped on her robe, but she jumped up quickly.

“Shiro!” she cried. He didn’t seem to hear her. He wasn’t alone. As she got closer, she saw Keith was with him. She slowed a bit. Where was she? She turned to the Black Lion. The slight flash in its eyes told her to keep going. She walked closer.

Shiro was hurt and that made her speed up a bit until she was standing in front of them. They didn’t see her at all. And suddenly it all made sense. She had hoped Black was showing her where Shiro was. Instead, Black was showing her the past. This was after the wormhole incident, she recognized Shiro’s injuries. She sat next to them, and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“Keith,” Shiro said in between pained gasps. “If I don’t make it out of here, I want you to pilot the Black Lion."

Allura turned to look at him. He meant it. She could feel the weight of the words press on her shoulders. Shiro had thought about this for a long time.

“You’re going to make it out of here,” Keith said.

Keith had no thoughts of seizure. Allura knew this.

“I want to lead,” she said. The Black Lion was standing over her now. “I want to do this. I’ve already burdened them enough. And look at what happened to Shiro. It should be me putting myself on the line from now on. I never wanted this for them. Shiro least of all. He’s suffered so much.”

Black lowered her head and reclined on the ground so she could put her hand on its muzzle.

“You trust Shiro’s judgement and so will I,” she said.

* * *

Allura woke up a lot more gracefully this time around. She knew this time it was real. She was still in the hangar, she had a pounding headache, and her face was sticky with sweat from sleeping with her head on the armrest of the pilot’s chair. She sat up slowly and held her head.

“You’re awake.”

Allura didn’t even have the energy to be startled.

“Hello, Keith,” she said. Judging by the location of his voice, he was sitting behind her. She got up and joined him in the back half of the cockpit, plopping right beside him. She rested the back of her head against the control panel. She didn’t think she’d ever cried like that before. But these were uncommon circumstances.

“I want you to know…I need your help,” he said. She glanced at him quickly before biting her lip.

“Shiro asked me to pilot the Black Lion and I’m going to do it,” he said. “But…I kinda suck at leading. I kinda suck at dealing with people in general.”

Allura snorted.

“It’s not funny!”

“It’s not. You’re right,” she said. “Listen, Keith. I like you. I know it doesn’t seem like it at the moment, but I do.”

They were both quiet. She put her arm around him. He stiffened a bit before he relaxed. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

“I’m a bit of a control freak. Keith, I lost almost everything at the hands of the Galra. I want to see this through,” she said. “The Galra _Empire_ , as led by King Zarkon. Not all Galra are bad.”

He stared at her with large, dark eyes. She bit her lip and stifled a giggle. It wasn’t often she’d term Keith as “cute” but he was certainly adorable right now.

“Please, give me advice on how I can do better,” he said.

“I will when there is the correct forum for it, I will,” she said. “We’ll have to start strategizing together. That would be a good time to discuss things.”

“Is that what you and Shiro would be doing during all those sleep cycles? I thought…” he trailed off.

She blushed a bit. Hopefully her skin was too dark for him to notice.

“Strategizing was some of what we did. We mostly talked about home,” she said. That was really all it was. She only wished things had gone farther. But Shiro had talked about going back to Earth a lot. Why would he attach himself to her, when he had other life plans? Settle down with a nice human and building a house by the ocean. An ocean that was a suspension of water and sodium chloride, or that’s what they’d figured out after she couldn’t understand what he meant by “salt.” When they discussed it it made sense, but she wasn't familiar with the human term for it. Nor had she really heard of an entire ocean full of saltwater. She smiled a bit thinking of that awkward conversation. They laughed a lot that time.

“This…this silence is making me feel awkward,” Keith said.

“Sorry. I’ll help you however I can,” she said. She took his hand in both of hers. “I only have one request. When we’re not fighting, let me use the Black Lion. Not to fly, but…if Zarkon could track and warp to the Black Lion’s position through his link, then perhaps…perhaps Shiro can do the same.”

“He needs Altean magic to do that, right?” Keith said.

“He has Altean magic, whether he knows it or not,” Allura said. It was why part of his hair was white. She’d tried to explain it to him, but she wasn’t sure it sunk in. At the time, they spoke of that it was only a theory she had, but now that she knew about Hagar, she knew it was true. “If Shiro is trying to track the Black Lion in any way, I might be able to help him.”

“Sure. I want him back as much as you do,” Keith said.

She smiled. “Good.”

She gently rubbed behind his ear, and he made an adorable contented sound.

“What was that?” she asked. “I'm not familiar with this human reaction.”

“I'm not entirely sure it _is_ a human reaction. But since I was very small, if you rubbed behind my ears it made me feel really...comforted? I don't know the word for it. Seeing the Galra...I think I understand why.”

“May I continue then?” she said.

“Please?” he said.

She giggled and turned so she could rub behind both his ears. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips together to keep from smiling to o big. It was so cute, she couldn't help it.

“Rubbing behind a person's ears is what  Alteans do to a younger sibling as a sign of affection. Keith, I  told you that I  really feel like you’re family, like you’re my little brother. If you succeed, I succeed.”

“ We'll get Shiro back,” he said.

“He'll be proud of both of us for working together,” she said.

Allura let her hands fall to her lap. Keith had his eyes on his hands.

“So...what do Alteans do when they want to say thank you to an older sister?” he asked.

“A hug will do,” she said.

He hugged her tightly. He almost squeezed the breath out of her.

“I'll do everything I can to live up to my new role as leader,” he said.

“Don't sound so formal. You'll do just fine,” she said.

They left the Black Lion together. As they walked out of the Lion's mouth Keith gave her an awkward side hug and went straight for the training room. She chuckled and went on her way. Maybe she had to give him more credit. She put her hand on Black Lion's paw.

“As long as you and Shiro trust him, I will as well,” she said.

**Author's Note:**

> The truth is, while I could write a 1000 word essay about why I think Allura should be the Black Paladin (longer even!), but I realize the series is pushing Keith as the leader. And while it disappoints me slightly, I'd be interested to see how he grows into the leader. And I think a big part of it is Keith learning to rely on others and Allura is someone he definitely needs to learn from. And I love, love the idea of Keith and Allura being friends and having a sibling like relationship.
> 
> Don't worry, Allura shares Keith's sensitive ear secret with Lance to be strategically exploited.


End file.
